Chasewater Railway Museum

recent Addition, Dec 2015

Railway Heritage Designated Signal Box Sign

The Railway Heritage Committee has the function of designating records and artefacts (or classes of record and artefact) which are historically significant and should be permanently preserved.

This enamelled sign came from Stafford No.5 signal box, and was given to the Museum by Network Rail – our thanks to the Company.

Photo: tillyweb.biz

The sign can be seen set into the signal box. On one end is a white patch with a red arrow, and on the other, a clear white patch to balance up the sign.

It may be of interest to Chasewater Railway members that the Station Hotel, Stafford, where the inaugural meeting of the Railway Preservation Society, fore-runner of Chasewater Railway, was held in 1959, was approximately 150 yards from the signal box!

Chasewater Railway

Mick Doman’s last train ride

Dave Doman brought his father’s ashes to Chasewater Railway for one last journey on a steam locomotive. He travelled on the footplate of the Barclay Loco ‘Coln McAndrew’ driven by Keith Sargeant.

The photos at the end of the video show the train ready to leave Brownhills West, Mick’s return from his trip and passed back to son Dave, and one final visit to the footplate of Hawthorn Leslie engine, ‘Asbestos’.

Staffordshire News

Shugborough Yew Tree

Shugborough’s Great Yew (the widest tree in Europe) has been shortlisted in the final ten of England’s Tree of the Year. Voting for the winner (which will enter the European competition runs all this week until Tuesday 4th). We’re up against some stiff competition from Newton’s Apple and the Sherwood Oak, so please, please, please lend your support by voting for our extra special tree as NUMBER ONE at www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/vote and by retweeting and sharing our posts on Facebook and Twitter www.facebook.com/shugboroughestatewww.twitter.com/shugborough

Fight to re-open Railway

From the ‘Brownhills Gazette, December 1989

via Brownhills Bob, David Evans and Brian Stringer

This was taken from Brownhills Bob’s latest post (28-10-2014) and is of particular interest to railway followers in the Lichfield, Walsall, Brownhills area.

On a personal level – when I first started school (a few weeks ago now!), I used to travel from Brownhills to Lichfield by train (steam, obviously), and later, when I started work, I travelled in the other direction, from Brownhills to Walsall (steam or diesel) – hence my interest in the line. John (CWS).

Another couple of Half-Term Events

Hednesford, Staffs

Friend of Hednesford Park

Lantern Walk 31st October 2014

Come along and join in the spooky goings on! Meet from 4 pm by the gazebo near the main gate to The Park to collect your entry form for the treasure hunt.

Activities on the night will include a scary story walk, spooky disco music, and competition prizes for best fancy dressed, best lantern, best pumpkin and prizes for completed treasure hunt entries! There will also be fun fair rides, story-telling in the Pavilion and food from Spencer’s Kitchen.

There will be a parade to show off fancy dress and lanterns at 5.45, when judging will take place by Backstreet Theatre Company. Pumpkins should be in the Pavilion by 5pm latest for judging. Event will finish at 6pm with a dance extravaganza in partnership with The Cadets and Jacquie Stokes.